Give It Up

Review

If you can't get someone else to do it, put your own name up in lights. At least that's what Morgan Brayton has done in her self-authored solo performance aptly named, Give It Up.
Morgan has dedicated her life to acting and comedy, and in this somewhat funny, and sometimes depressing play, she tells you her story—introducing you to some of the characters she's developed through her career.
You may find yourself feeling sorry for the nearly 50-year-old actor, who might be considered a 'starving artist' by today's standards, but also somewhat inspired by her perseverance and dedication to an industry that is anything but loyal to its people.
There were long breaks and bizarre skits throughout the show, but sometimes the content just didn't have that extra 'oomph' required for a solo show like this to be hugely successful.
Reviewed by Katie Robertson.

EdmontonFringe.ca

42 Reviews

Morgan Brayton is charming and entertaining as she weaves a story of successes and disappointments, full of fun characters, and showcases her talent not only as an actress, but as a writer. I promise you’ll fall in love with her and her characters. This show is not to be missed!

With quirky character shifts and inspired costume changes, Morgan Brayton’s “Give It Up” shifts seamlessly from hilarious to heartbreaking. A personal journey through the loops and hoops of rejection, frustration, resignation, and rekindled passion, this show is a must-see for anyone in hot pursuit of an ultimate dream.

Morgan Brayton is hilarious and Give it Up is both really, really funny and also touching. Digging into her history in the entertainment industry, Brayton presents a brutally honest, and gut splitting portrait of the highs and the lows that life offers up when you reach for the stars and don’t give up. She’s a is a comedic genius and this show is not to be missed.

Saw this fantastic show. I laughed. I got shiny eyed…. In public!
A great look at what we do for our passion, for our love, and inspiration. And didnibkention, it’s funny? Because it totally is. Absolutely worth your time, money, and energy. You WILL be rewarded.

So freaking funny, still chuckled and guffawed the day after the show. Fabulous characters with a story that we can all relate to in some ways. Left wanting to figure out how I can teach my dog to dance.

Morgan Brayton has fantastic comedic timing, and knows how to pull at the heart strings. If you are looking for a show that will make you laugh and make you go “hmm” this is it. A hilarious yet all to real account of the struggles of having an acting carrier, this is a show you should not miss.

There are a couple of very strange ‘pre-emptive’ reviews written by ‘people’ (or perhaps someone with multiple online personalities?) who have not even seen the show, and who likely won’t, due to their very obvious and undisguised bigotry. This is a very odd thing to do, and one can only feel sorry for whoever s/he/they might be.

I’ve seen Morgan Brayton perform live onstage, and have watched her on TV many, many times, and she is brilliant! She hits the hammer right on the head with her characterizations and is hilarious.

My advice? Ignore whatever any very peculiar and hateful individual(s) might have said and go and thoroughly enjoy a wonderful performance by a great writer, comedian, and entertainer. I can guarantee that you won’t be disappointed, and will probably want to go back and do it all over again.

This woman is a tour de force! Not sure what the reviewer missed about that by not giving her more stars. But please..as someone who has spent at least half my adult life either doing or watching live theatre. This was an awesome brave show that I would go back and see again for the laughs alone. But be careful because the emotion might sneak up and make you feel something too .

Saw this fantastic show. I laughed. I got shiny eyed…. In public!
A great look at what we do for our passion, for our love, and inspiration. And did I mention, it’s funny? Because it totally is. Absolutely worth your time, money, and energy. You WILL be rewarded.

Morgan Braytons is an Actress. A wife. A mother. A comedienne. A sketch comedy writer. A human being.

All of this culminates into a beautiful autobiographical one-woman show which is, on the surface, about not making it as far as your dreams predict, but underneath is about taking what life gives you and making it work by putting your own trademark spin on it.

Morgan dreamt of being a star who would be married to Scott Bail, gracing the covers of Tiger Beat magazine, and getting interviewed on late night tv.

Reality sets in with a heavy blow often as Morgan is rejected for displaying human features in a world that is highly critical of anything other than cookie cutter.

Morgan weaves in and out of her sketch comedy characters that propel the story forward and display her brilliant comedy and acting chops.

In the end, the message is relevant to all walks of life in and out of the arts. This beautiful 60 minute escape is not to be missed!

Morgan killed me and brought me back to life a thousand times in this extremely funny show. A perfect exploration of what we do for our passions and dreams, delivered by one of the funniest women I’ve ever seen. Do yourself an enormous favour and see this show immediately.

This show is so funny and moving and silly and poignant and fun. Nobody does character / solo sketch better than Morgan Brayton and in this show she also showcases her outstanding personal storytelling abilities. It’s a can’t miss.

I’ve worked with Morgan on several of her shows and this one really gets me. I love how Morgan shows us the darker edges of a crazy business and lets us in on what really matters for performers. Check it out Edmonton!

Ever dreamed of being a star? Ever wondered what your life would have been like if you had just gone for it and packed up and moved to (Canada’s version) of Hollywood? This play tells the story of someone who did, and who gave it her all, and… well, it just didn’t happen.
It’s ironic we hear about success stories wildly out of proportion to reality. Perhaps we just can’t shake ourselves out of living the fantasy vicariously. But most who really give it their all… live lives like Morgan has. Being a professional actor is, as she reveals, essentially being a professional “job interviewer”; auditions are really just job interviews, briefly interrupted by the occasional acting job, and quickly returning to more job interviews. At the beginning of the show, Morgan tells us she is getting ready to audition for the less-than-impressive role of Cashier Number Two, and she can’t hide her contempt for the fact her career has come to this point yet again.
Nevertheless, Morgan keeps with it, and is still going at the age of 47. What keeps her eyes on the prize after so much soul-destroying hardship? At this stage in her career she has had plenty of encounters with many who have taken a spin in the limelight but ended their careers on a lower note (dare I say as has-beens?). How could this be worth it?
It’s a pathos missing from the show; we come to understand that she wants to be a star, but after her revelations, it seems like a hollow goal at best, and narcissistic folly at worst.
Nevertheless, her tenacity is fascinating. She regails us with stories of nearly achieving the dream, only to have it snatched away again and again. Throughout her journey, she also demonstrates all that work has allowed her to develop serious talent, which she deftly demonstrates via a series of comedic sketches that left the audience in stitches.
So yeah, Morgan never quite became a star, but so what? Isn’t there more to life than that anyway?
Nevertheless, she’s a damn good entertainer, and worth your Fringe time and money.

This show is funny and moving and unique – like Morgan. You know, the story is not written yet. This show is about how Morgan Brayton is not a star… Well, maybe she isn’t at this moment but she should be.

I saw this show last night and it was hilarious and I cried! The sketch characters made total sense in the context of this show – she is showing us how talented she is and proving that it takes more than just talent to “make it” – it takes luck, and timing, and the right person seeing you at the right moment. I think the reviewer missed the point – Morgan Brayton shows us that a lifetime of trying to do something IS doing something!

Brayton captures the obsession and drive actors have, as well as nailing home the heartbreaking rejection that is part of everyday life as a performer. This play is well worth the price of admission and has moments of delightful humour and heart wrenching reality. I loved it. I loved Brayton. It’s a keeper and I won’t forget it anytime soon.

Loved “GIVE IT UP”. AN INSPIRATION TO ANYONE PERSUING a dream, passion or goal. and told to give it up. Morgan played the role with all the poignant ups and downs of one’s passion with much humour, and the tenacity of the human spirit in going after ones dreams. Very entertaining especially if you have pursued a goal and told to give it up. It was a delightful take on whether one is an actor or moving towards any other passion. In the end the message for me was “create your own dream instead of being a clone of someone else.”
A very well known Alberta/Canadian artist was told many times to as much as give it up because he would never amount to much. He persevered and created his own character. His artwork graces our world class Arena in Edmonton and his work hangs in the Museum of Man in Ottawa.
It was obvious to me that Morgan was not a newbie but a seasoned actor. I got the message and had some great laughs. Thank you

How anyone could watch this play and NOT get that it was autobiographical is beyond me. Morgan Brayton’s picture is on the poster with all of her 8 x 10 shots behind her, and she starts the play by saying “these are the many looks I’ve had over my theatre career. I’ve been a film, TV and theatre actor for over 30 years” !!!
We found this performance delightful, entertaining and hilarious. One of us is in the business and one isn’t, and we both found it equally as enjoyable. There are many years difference between us and it made no difference to our enjoyment of the show. The characters that Morgan portrays through the show are amazingly well developed, and you just want to see more of them. Don’t let misinformed reviews steer you away from this hilarious show. An hour well spent.

Morgan has this almost uncanny ability to work on so many emotional and comedic levels! She is enchanting, so skilful, makes you laugh, makes you cry– and this saga of her life is all these things, does all these things– don’t miss it!!

You can tell when a performer is doing a show for themselves rather than the audience. I felt like I was a toy doll in her early audience as a child. Miss this one, the performance I saw didn’t deserve 3.5 stars. This was the only performance in over 15 shows this year that I wanted to leave mid show. The skits that interrupt her I almost had my ticket to the big time don’t really fit and are jarring. She clearly know how to give a lot better performance that is currently on display at the fringe.